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Corn Silage Harvest Management Considerations For The Southeast Market. Bill Seglar, DVM Nutritional Sciences Veterinarian Pioneer Global Nutritional Sciences Pioneer Hi-Bred Intl., Inc. Voice: 1-800-247-6803 ext. 6674 Internet: bill.seglar@pioneer.com.
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Corn Silage Harvest Management Considerations For The Southeast Market Bill Seglar, DVM Nutritional Sciences Veterinarian Pioneer Global Nutritional Sciences Pioneer Hi-Bred Intl., Inc. Voice: 1-800-247-6803 ext. 6674 Internet: bill.seglar@pioneer.com
Bringing All Aspects Of Forage Quality Together The Cattle Feeder The Forage Grower The Silage Triangle The Harvester Keith and Ruth Bolsen, KSU and Forage Solutions www.oznet.ksu.edu/pr_silage
What Forage Quality Means to Each Part of the Operation • Provider of Seed Genetics • Agronomics • Yield (whole plant and grain) • Fiber digestibility • Milk/ton • Milk/acre • Dairy and Beef Feeders • Palatability • Milk production • Feeding efficiencies • Inoculation • Contract Harvester • Getting tons into the silo on time • Proper chopper settings • Getting forage packed and sealed
A Common Goal of The Silage Team Create Precision Corn Silage • Minimize silage shrink and surface spoilage • Maximize packing densities • Proper sealing • Inoculation • Maximize nutrient utilization and digestibility • Hybrid selection • Harvest timing • Minimize silage shrink and surface spoilage • Feedout management • Implement inventory control • SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY
Silo Safety Practices Must Discussed and Followed by Silage Team • Many Florida silos are built too high to be safe • Cause feedout challenges • Risk avalanches • Packing safety • Build silos with 3:1 slope 8 ft lengths
Silage Management Will Outweigh Hybrid Selection Decisions • Hybrid selection is important for seed planting decisions • Need to use local tests under hot, humid conditions • Need the strong agronomic trait packages to make corn survive in the southeast market (staygeen = late season plant health) • Followed with ability to yield starch and highly digestible fiber • After this, it’s up to the silage team in determining corn silage quality that will be fed to dairy cattle
Achieve the Right Harvest Maturity • Goal: Harvest at 65-70% moisture (Arriola et al., 05, UFL) • Too early will produce run-off and too late will produce heating and molding • Tasseling means about 40 days to silage maturity---put on calendar • Check calendar dates with milk line determination • 2 weeks prior harvest • Fine tune chopping dates with dry matter determination • Koster Cooker • Microwave • Oven
How Well Did the Florida/Georgia Corn Silages Get Processed? • Starch Damage from Dairyland Laboratories • Desired range: 50-70% • Value has less impact with wetter corn silage
Prompt and Fast Filling of the Silo • First….clean and prepare the silo for new crop • Detriments: Florida high temperatures, frequent rainfalls, and transportation • University of Florida research • 3 hours transportation does not jeopardize fermentation • Sealing >15 hours reduces fermentation quality and increases spoilage losses • High temperatures and/or rained on forage result in poorer fermentation and loss of protein quality • Bottom Line: Silage team need to strictly adhere to fast silo filling practices to minimize high temperature and rainfall issues Adesogan; Kim, 2005. UFL
Make Sure the Silo is Properly Packed • 1:3 slope is ideal all around the pile • Consistent packing from bottom to top • Match up rate of forage delivery to tractor weight and packing time • Tons/hr X 800 = Lbs. pack tractor weight per hour • 200 X 800 = 160,000 lbs or 2-40 ton tractors • Pack no more that 6-8” per silage layer • Corn silage density • Measured in lbs/cu ft. • Goal is 16-18 lbs./ft3
Poor Packing Density = Nutrient Losses starch & sugar; not fiber DM loss, % Packing Density, lb/cu ft. (Ruppel, 1992)
Covering Minimizes Surface Losses • Facts from Kansas State research • 1” visible surface mold = 3” excessive shrink • Uncovered silos have 33% shrink losses down to 4 ft • Covering a 180X280 ft silo = $28,580 in silage savings for a $6,800 investment • Optimal pack top 3 ft will enhance benefits of covering • Tires or other weight must hold down plastic • Management ideas • Double layering of 6 mm plastic • Making bags out of bunkers---run plastic between wall and silage • Draw out air between silage and plastic with vacuum fans • Oxygen barrier plastic between silage and tarp---10X less permeable Keith and Ruth Bolsen, KSU and Forage Solutions www.oznet.ksu.edu/pr_silage
2 pounds dDM 0.5 to 0.6 lbs. beef or 4 to 5 pounds milk 13-foot uncovered silo Feeding From Uncovered Bunkers
50% of silage DM losses occur during storage and feedout Impacted by harvest moisture, chop length, packing, and sealing practices Critical for hot periods of year These losses are digestible sugars, not fiber Can have a major effect on palatability, consumption and performance Proper Feedout Management
Silage Removal Considerations • Shave the silo face, don’t create fissures • Run endloader horizontal to face • Consider a commercial defacer • Match silo size with number cattle fed • Achieve 6” removal across entire face/day • Many Florida silos are too large • Do not leave removed silage on apron for next day’s feeding
Inoculate With A Quality Forage Additive • Requires attention to other cropping, harvesting, and silo management steps • Well researched additives have better results • Claims to look for in an inoculant • Ability to decrease shrink • Enhance nutrient availability of corn silage • Bunklife properties at time of feedout • Lactobacillus buchneri products will have great value to Florida silages • Cheapest product isn’t the best product • Treat at recommended dosage rate: usually 100,000 cfu/gm forage
Bunker Silo Examples of Face HeatingCreated by Yeast That You Don’t See
University of Florida Forage Additive Observations • Molasses treatment for additional fermentation sugars • Tendency for poorer aerobic instability • Reduced proteolysis (improved protein quality) • Discourage this practice due to reduced bunklife • Buchneri Inoculants • Lowered silage shrink • Lowered yeast counts • Improved bunklife stability • Doubling dosage rates shows no advantage Adesogan; Huisden, 2005. UFL
Precision Silage Production by the Silage Triangle Team • The Grower • Hybrid selection • Soil fertility and crop management • Watch maturity process • Safety • Dairy and Beef Feeders • Best silage management practices • Minimize silo shrink • Safety • Contract Harvester • Getting tons into the silo on time • Proper chopper settings • Getting forage packed and sealed • Safety